Extra points for any entry that also shares this competition online on a blog, forum, or else where and then posts a link below.

The deadline is tonight. Well, until I check the computer tomorrow actually.
UNLESS......... enough people still want to enter. Let me know if you do and I might be able to extend the deadline by afew days.

Friday, 25 May 2012

I like to keep up with gaming news but I dont remember seeing any annoucements in the last couple of weeks about this.
Its such a shame. Being a big pirate fan and a player of Legends of the High Seas, this was my favouite part of Games Workshop. Trafalgar was next on my list but I guess thats not going to happen now.

Thursday, 24 May 2012

Being really busy this week I haven't had time for much new and interesting content.
But I do want to have a play around with the layout here and add another Blog-Roll , splitting my current one, to give all your linked blogs abit more exposure.

With the success of the last 'Good Ole Blog Swap' I thought it could be good to give it a go again before I add the new section.

Want to get your blog out there a little more?
Got some cool minis, terrain, news or projects for people to see?

The idea is simple.
Anyone that wants to take part will be added to the
blogroll here and will be asked to add this blog to theirs. Getting
every ones hobbies more exposure every time they make a post!!!!!!!
Lets all make a bigger gamer blogging network and get as much cool stuff out to as many people as possible!

Fancy giving it a go?
Post a link to your gaming blog below. Each will be added to the gaming blogs lists to the right>>>>>
Then add this page to your own blog.

Next steps - easy. Keep blogging! And enjoy!

EDIT: The Blog Rollg split will happen this weekend. Higher up in the left hand column will be the lesser known personal blogs and abit lower in the right column will be the more popular and commercial blogs.

Thursday, 17 May 2012

The Clarendon Suites and the Menzies Strathallan
Hotel, Birmingham: 25th – 27th May

It’s
time to polish your gun barrels and prep your armies – the UK Games Expo is back
for its sixth year running– and it looks like it’s going to be bigger and better
than ever!

If
you’re looking to escape the humdrum of tax returns and car warranties and you have a weekend to spare, then head on over to The
Clarendon Suites and the Menzies Strathallan Hotel for one of the biggest events
of the UK Gaming calendar

“One
of the great things about the expo is how large and small companies can both
present their efforts to the gaming public” - Rhythmic Circus

There
are a number of exciting events as well as the opportunity to showcase your
skills on the battlefield in open games and tournaments – So grab your Expo
ticket, plan your strategies and get practicing. With the announcement of
Warhammer 40,000 6th Edition, this could be your last big tournament
under the old ruleset – so let’s make it a right royal send off!

Of
course, it’s not just wargames and miniatures at the UK Games Expo – This event
hosts all kinds of games, from board games and RPGs to card games and family
games. There really is something for everyone, so it’s well worth dragging along
a friend or two.

So
what can you expect from the UK Games Expo this year? Here’s a quick look at the
timetable, so you know exactly what not to miss.

Friday
25th May

The
Expo kicks off in the Menzies Strathallan Hotel with an open gaming day – a
chance to play your old favourites or try out something new. There will be a
number of open gaming rooms and roleplaying sessions to whet your appetite… and
prepare you for the main events!

(Note:
Friday is a Games Only day and the trade stalls will not be open)

Saturday
26th and Sunday 27th May

After a
day of casual gaming, the main Expo begins. Over the past few years, the UK
Games Expo has seen the launch of many an established game – including the UK
launch of 4th Edition D&D. From Saturday morning, the Trade Show
will be open, so get on over to The Clarendon Suites to pick up some new
miniatures and find out all about the latest releases.

But
that’s not all.

With
a schedule of over 100 individual RPG games, in 8 sessions, over 3 days, there’s
a massive amount of gaming going on – way too much to detail here – so check out
the full schedule at their website.

Most
notably, there’s a 2 day War-machines Hordes UK Masters tournament as well as a
Warhammer 40k event on Sunday. And if you fancy something a bit different, Steve
Jackson Games’ incredible live action Living Munchkin will be running at hourly
intervals. Definitely worth checking out.

And
if you happen to be a regular GM, they’re still looking for volunteers to keep
everything running – you can apply online here.

Don’t
Miss…

Bring
and Buy – Games Gazette are once
again providing a bring and buy stall. Just turn up with your old games and
miniatures, fill out a booking form, set your price and leave the items on sale.
A great way to cash in those old armies that you rarely play.

Author
Readings – Nick Marsh and Sarah Newton (as well as a number of other
Sci-fi and Fantasy authors) will be reading from their latest novels over the
course of the weekend. Think you’ve got a great idea for a book? Come along to
the ‘Getting Published’ seminar to find out just how to go about it.

Expo
Awards – Voted by the Expo visitors, the Expo Awards are given to the
best games and games publishers around. With a number of categories including
Best New Board Game, Best RPG and Best Miniatures Range, don’t miss the awards
announcement on Sunday 27th May.

If you haven’t booked your
tickets yet, head on over to their website – This is
one of the biggest games conventions in the UK and it’s definitely not to be
missed.

Note:
If you’re planning to join in with any of the scheduled events (especially the
tournaments) you’ll have to register – places are limited and some games are
already fully booked, so make sure you guarantee your place!

Saturday, 12 May 2012

After reading the basic rules, which are really easy to pick up, and a couple of the advanced rules we decided to try out the intro scenario in the book called 'The Barko Brothers' (All in the FREE PDF)
PJ started with 1 Judge and I had 4 Punks. Although I used my apes as a stand in.
We tried to copy the scenery as best as we could.

The game play is very simple.
In each turn you activate each model separately. They then have 2 actions. You can Move, Move and Attack, Shoot and use a models of weapons Special action. They can be mixed any way you want. Including using the same ones twice.
As my Punks advanced across the board, the Judge managed to gun the down as soon as they appeared.

PJ then suggested we try again with the Punks playing abit more defensively.
When an enemy first appears in front of a Judge, there is a great little rule. The Judge HAS to tell the model they are under arrest by using a Special action before they can attack. This is unless the enemy has attacked them to start with.

When a criminal is told to surrender you roll a Will check. Each player rolls a D10 and adds their Will stat. The highest wins. If it s the Judge, the criminal is removed from the board but not killed.
If the criminal wins then they don't have to take another one of these checks for the rest of the game and can act normally.

This second game ended with the Punks taking down the Judge in a deadly firefight down a narrow alley.
A shooting attack is very similar to the Will check D10 + Shooting stat v D10 + Agility stat. Any shots that have rolled higher than the defenders Agility total cause damage.
It did take 3 of them to finish him off though!

We then decided to try out a full on game. Judges v Apes. The book says you start with 350pts but to make things a little simpler we went for 375 to fit in rounded models without too much equipment.

After the first couple of turns, most models were in decent positions to attack.

The apes actually managed to take down a Judge again. Massed firepower again.
They didn't do too well after that. The Gorilla Gangster and Sniper Orangutan were arrested and a Chimp was killed.

Both the Judges and the Apes then closed in on each other.

At this point I decided the Gorilla in a dress should charge in and we could try out the Melee attacks.
The rolls are basically the same as the other in the game. Each players rolls an amount of D10s in their profiles and adds their Melee stat. The winner is the highest and each high dice causes damage.

The Gorilla went full boar but seeing I hadn't armed him/her with a melee weapon I had a minus to my rolls. Allowing the Judge to take advantage and take the great beast down.
After that, the final Chimp decided it was a good idea to run and fight another day.

The final gangs looked like this

1 Judge and 1 Rookie still standing. 1 Judge dead.

Orangutan and Gorilla arrested, Gorilla and Chimp killed and last Chimp ran!

Overall I think that Judge Dredd is a great game.
The rules are very easy to pick up. By the 3rd game we were only looking at the , FREE PDF, rules for the stats. It has captured a great Dredd feel as well. Looking forward to out next games and trying out some other gangs and weapon combos. (Including melee weapons this time)

We are going to try out the campaign system next time as well. Had a read through and it seems as easy to pick up as the main rules but lets you add alot more to your gangs including additional members, weapons and skills as the survivors advance.

I would highly recommend checking this game out. Its already ranked up there in my top 6 games after only 1 night!

Over the next 2 weeks I will also be taking a closer look at the model range. Starting with the box sets for Judges, Robots and Punks.

Wednesday, 9 May 2012

Last weekend at the Legionary con I picked up some ape minis for my Pulp City ARC team.
Then I started to look over the other minis on the Mongoose Publishing stand.
All sorts of weird and wonderful things inc Judge Dredd himself! Great sculpts as well.
I was never really into Dredd when I was younger, but for some reason these minis really grabbed my interest.

A couple of the other members of our gaming club also picked up some of the minis and then PJ from Shades of Chaos told me about the free rulebook for the Judge Dredd game. Found >>HERE<<
Had to download that one!

After a good read through, we decided to give it a try at our local club tomorrow night. I will report back on how that goes.
The rules seem quick and easy but also a lot of fun. Plus there is a very nice campaign system which is always a draw for me.

How about a look at the sort of things included in the range? (click any pics to view larger)
First of all there is Dredd and the other Judges. Including some in HUGE armour.

And then there is the well know Angel Gang with the awesome Mean Machine!

The Ape Gang that I have started with. How can you say no to a gorilla with a shotgun in a dress?

Other playable gangs and citizens of Mega City One range from Sky Surfers to Lone Vigilante Super Heros and stampeding Fatties to Renegade Robots

There are many others that live in the city or outside of the walls. Mutants, criminals in Bat suits, Zombie necromancers and the Klegg

As I said, I started with the apes. But...........
I decided to pick up another couple of minis giving me the choice to use Super Heros or Zombies instead.
The Sky Surfers, Judge and Robots are calling to me as well.